Homecoming
by LordRevanMandaloreofZutara
Summary: Aang returns to the Fire Nation after a two year leave of absence. The only problem is that his greeter wishes he stayed gone. Post Sozin's War. Azulaang, slight Zutara. For Thawn716. Rated T for mild lang.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**All right, here it is. Thawn716's reward one-shot. It is just a short Azulaang story set after the war. There is not enough of this coupling out there. Hope you like it, Thawn716.**

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**Azula's POV**

Anger surges through my veins. Anger at my brother for putting me in this situation, anger at my father for being so weak and dying, anger at myself for being weak and vulnerable. But mostly I was angry at our visitor.

Zuko had informed me a week ago that Avatar Aang would be visiting the Fire Nation. Zuko told me that this visit would be an essential step to repairing their broken relationship. I was surprised that the Avatar even agreed. Two years ago the Avatar had left the Fire Nation under the worst of circumstances. I did not think he would ever set foot in this land again.

The thought of him leaving sent another wave of white hot anger through me and lash out at the nearest object. Fortunately for the workers in the area it is only a potted plant. Needless to say, the plant was incinerated within seconds.

With the destruction of a living object, I was able to calm myself. But in the interest of avoiding another long lecture from Uncle, I decided to vent my frustrations by pacing.

After another half hour I see a distant speck in the horizon. After a few minutes, it enlarges and the figure of Appa is clearly visible. I stop pacing and clench my fists. Later, I would have to wrap them because my nails had punctured the skin and blood began to flow. But I did not realize this at the time. All of my attention was focused on the figure that jumped off of Appa.

It had been two years, and he had grown. He was still bald, but hard muscles had devolped where there had been none before. He was also taller. I no longer could look down on him, but had to tilt my eyes slightly up. All in all, he was a beautiful specimen. Had I not hated him with all my being, I would claim him.

As it is, that boat had already sailed.

The Avatar walks over to me, his eyes lightening up at my presence. "Greetings Azula." He bows.

I snort. "Greetings, _Avatar._" I spit out. "We have been expecting you. Come with me." As I turn, I see that his face had contorted into a look of confusion and hurt. At one time I would have gladly mocked him for it. At another, I would have done my best to ease it. Now, now I just feel empty.

The rest of the walk was done in silence. I did not speak to him for the rest of the day, even during dinner. Zuko and Katara both managed to reconnect with Aang. Uncle merely looked at me.

After dinner I excused myself and went to the training room.

I had the servents set out the training obstacles. Then I dismiss them. A half-hour into my work out, I feel eyes on me. I turn and see Avatar Aang staring at me. "Hi." He says calmly. Unbiddened, memories rush back, of a time when my whole world had been turned upside down.

**Flashback. **

_Zuko's sword sliced through the air, its target, my head. I jump back, but not quickly enough. The super heated blade slices diagonally across my chest. The pain is unlike anything I have ever felt. I try to summon more of my will, to ignore the pain, but I can't. I am spent. _

_I fall to my knees, coughing. "Im… impossible. I… I can not be beaten. I am the Fire Lord." _

_Zuko stares down at me, and the coldness of his eyes leaves, to be replaced by sorrow. "No, Azula. I am the true Fire Lord."_

_I cough, and blood flies out of my mouth. "Yes… I cannot deny it any longer. You… you are the one who deserves… who deserves to be the Fire Lord."_

_Another spasam of coughing hits me and I turn to the waterbender, Katara. She stares at me with cold eyes. I am surprised to see eyes so cold in her, but I guess that is to be expected. As I turn from her gaze I know that she will not heal me. So, for once, I will be honest with my brother._

"_You were the one who first found the Avatar. You were the one who chased him from the South Pole, all the way to the North Pole. And you were the one who fought him in Ba Sing Se. If not for you, I would have been killed that day."_

_More coughing, it is harder to speak now, but I must finish it. _

"_I…I tried to steal the throne from you. I tried to undermine you, to weaken you. But all my efforts were in vain. Now I understand. The destiny is yours, not mine."_

_Zuko's eyes change again. After a moment I realize that tears are welling up._

"_You, you are Fire Lord Zuko. The Dragon of Agni. And I… I am nothing."_

_Tears are now flowing freely down his cheeks. He drops to his knees and looks me in the eyes. "All humans have value Azula. From the tiniest newborn baby to the Avatar. Never think that you are nothing."_

_At this I chuckle, only to cringe as the pain in my chest expands._

"_Still… still spouting Uncle's wisdom I see. Perhaps there is more truth to his word then I ever believed. I can not help but wonder, Zuko. What would have happened had our postions been reversed? What if Father had banished me? Could I be changed like you? If Ozai had not started me down this path, could I find love? Could he ever love me?" Now my own tears start welling up in my eyes._

_Zuko looks at me, and shakes his head. "Don't do it Lala. Don't act like a coward. Don't blame Ozai for your fate."_

_Seeing the look in his eyes makes me realize the truth, and shame fills my being. _

"_I suppose… I suppose that you are right. I wanted to be the Fire Lord. To be ruler of this world. But that destiny is not mine. It is yours."_

_Another burst of pain erupts in me and I know that my time is done. "And so it ends, as I always knew it must. In darkness." I say before collapsing._

**End of Flashback.**

His word triggered the memories of the final battle. When I said my last words, I expected to wake up in hell. But, instead, I awoke in the infirmary, my wounds treated, and bandaged.

Over the next few days I learned that Zuko had begged Katara to heal me. After several minutes Katara relented and I was stabilized. Still, for a month afterward, I was sore, and could barely walk. But, the universe works in strange way. Through out that month, and the following four, I had a constant companion. In a twist of events only found in real life, I began to fall in love with the Avatar.

"Azula, we need to talk."

His words bring back the fury that had been locked inside of me ever since that fateful day.

**Flashback**

_I awake and simply lay there. In the five months since the final battle, my wounds had fully healed. Not only that, but my heart had nearly healed as well. And it was all due to one person. To this day I have no idea of how it happened. I guess that we both just needed someone. I had been broken, fully and completely. And he had lost Katara._

_When Katara and Zuko announced that they would be getting married after everything settled down, Aang freaked. He cut his ties with Katara and Zuko. He refused to speak with them, expect when it was strictly necessary. In his grief he found me, and things just clicked. I understood betrayal, and he knew what it was like to be broken. _

_At first we just talked. Once I healed, he took me out. Some of the best times of my life were with him in those months. I never felt more at peace. I was happy. I finally knew joy. He was a pillar of strength for me. _

_I smile and open a draw, pulling out a ring. I had no ideas what Air Nomad proposal customs were, so I did what I knew. I had gone out yesterday and bought him this ring. I knew that the guy was supposed to be the one to ask, but I couldn't wait. I knew that he was the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with._

_I smile and dress, pocketing the ring._

_Once I leave my room I stop a sevent and ask whether or not they know where Aang is._

"_Yes Princess. The Avatar was last seen in the stables."_

_I smile and thank her. I then make my way to the stables. When I get there I see Aang tightening the straps on Appa. Puzzled, I step into the yard and call out. _

_Aang stiffens when he hears my voice and turns to face me. _

"_Aang, why are you loading Appa up?"_

_Aang looks at me, then averts his gaze. "Azula, I am leaving."_

_Fear begins to grow in my heart at his words. "Leaving? Why are you leaving?"_

_He looks up, eyes laden with guilt. "Azula, I can't be with you."_

_My heart stops and falls at those words. I could swear I heard it breaking as it hit the floor. As I stammer my next words, the weight of the ring in my pocket becomes heavier. "Wh… why?"_

_He does not even raise his head. "Because I am the Avatar."_

_His answer, and the meaning behind it, turns my fear into something worse. Since the idiot is not looking at me, he can not know that his words are only making it worse. _

"_Azula, I am the Avatar. I, I can not be attached to a single person. It is my duty to place the world above and before every one. That includes you. I'm sorry. I…"_

_He looks up and jumps back ten feet. I had not bended much since the last battle. At first it was a combonation of soreness and because I had been stripped of my bending. After I had earned my brother's trust, and the bending blocking tea was removed, I saw no reason to. With Aang I was learning more about myself and growing more then bending could ever provide me. But Aang dumping me, not because he found someone else, or any physical reason, but for his duty was bring out my long forgotten fire. His Agni Damn duty to the world, was making me angry. And for the first time since the duel, the insanity of Sozin flowed through my veins again._

"_So, I was just a toy, right Avatar. I was just a diversion to get you through the peace summet and having to see Zuko and Katara together."_

_And true to form, he made things worse. "No, no Azula. I truly enjoyed the time we spent together. It's just that I can not be with you. As the Avatar I can not become attached to any one person. That is the reason why I had to let go of Katara. She was holding me back."_

_Like so many males he spoke without fully thinking of what he was saying. He continued on for a minute, but I lost focus on what he was saying. The sentence, 'She was holding me back' kept replaying in my mind. The ring now felt like the entire city of Ba Sing Se. _

_And as he talked, I broke. It was different then the time that Zuko broke me. I had needed that. This time, it was my heart that broke. As it did, I knew I would never be the same. _

_With a loud roar, I spew blue flames out of my mouth. The Avatar jumps back and bends the flames away from him. _

_As he lands I glare at him and shout. "FINE!! GO!! See if I care. I hope you succeed!!" I turn and run for the doorway. The Avatar tries to come after be but I turn and bend lightning at him. He jumps away just in time, but I will forever remember the look in his eyes. _

_As servants come to see what the commotion is, I spare him one last look. "To be an Avatar, one must be detached from the world. Like a machine. You will do well, Avatar. You already have cruelness mastered." Then I turned, and never looked back._

**End of Flashback.**

Afterwards, I fled. I learned later that Zuko had attacked Aang, in retribution for hurting me. Iroh and Katara stopped their fight, but the damage was done. Aang left and for two years, there was no word of his whereabouts.

Not that I cared. After Aang's betray I devoted myself to Zuko, Katara, and Iroh. I swore a blood oath to each of them. After doing so, I visited the Sun Warriors and earned the Dragon's approval. I shoved Aang out of my mind and concentrated on improving myself and serving my family.

But him here now, standing in light clothes, brought back all the memories.

"What is there to talk about? Everything that needed to be said was said two years ago. You are the Avatar. I was holding you back. End of discussion." I start to walk past him, when I feel a strong hand latch on to my arm.

I turn and give him my most withering look. "Let me go." I command.

But he is the Avatar, the master of all four elements. He defeated my father and has battled some of the best benders the world has ever known. He will not back down so easily. He has changed. I can see it in his eyes.

"No. Not until you understand. I let you go once. I will not make the same mistake again."

Dropping to the ground, I launch a low kick at Aang. My attack lands and Aang is forced to release my arm. I retreat and take a bending stance.

"What is there to understand? You left me. You left me behind like an old pair of boots. I thought that I meant something to you. I thought you loved me." I snarl.

Aang gets up, and looks at me, eyes pleading. "I do love you Azula. The reason I left was for you."

In that instance I broke for the third time in my life. But unlike the other two times, I did not weep, or question my beliefs. My vision grew red, and a white hot rage grows out of my scarred heart. Only this time, it consumes me. As it does, I think of only one thing. Aang's broken, bloody body at my feet.

There is silence for a second, and then I lash out, firing a barrage of blue flames at Aang. He jumps back and tries to regain his footing. I don't let him.

Jumping forward, I send out more fire blast, forcing Aang to keep on the defensive. After a few seconds of this, I stop, and shoot lightning at him. He stops and redirects it at the ceiling.

While he is distracted, I place my hands together and launch a huge fire blast at him. Aang then bends the rock around him and sinks into the ground. Cursing, I grab a metal pole vault, and plunge it into the ground.

Just as I am starting to make the motions for lightning, Aang erupts from the ground and catches me mid-waist. The force of the impact sends us flying. Taking advantage of the situation, I land a few well placed kicks and punches on him.

As we land, Aang airbends me against the wall. He then traps my hands and feet against the wall.

"Azula!! Stop this right now!! You don't understand!!" He yells.

I suck in breath and he curses. I spew out my own breath of fire and Aang jumps back. With some distance betweens us, I concentrate and my arm bindings come off. Then I remove my legs bindings.

I jump down and see that Aang has retreated down the hall. Several servants are starting to gather, but I could care less. Aang hurt me. He hurt me more then anyone ever has. Then he had the gal to tell me he left for me.

Some part of my mind, the part that was still sane, warned me about continuing. But then the rage took over again and I took off after him.

For the next few minutes, Aang tried to incapacitate me using various water, air, and earth bending methods. I managed to dodge them all, and I sent quite a few fire blasts his way.

Eventually, we came to the throne room. He jumps through the opening and turns, launching a fire blast at me. I stop, and deflect it.

Using the time he gained, Aang draws on nearby water and forms an octopus defensive ring.

Seeing it, I pause and circle him, looking for an opening.

"Azula, please listen to me. There things that happened that in the two years that you need to know."

I keep circle him. He takes that as permission to keep talking. "Azula, you have no idea just how much I missed you. I ached for you every day. The reason why I left is…" I cut him off by launching a fire blast at his lower right corner. He blocks it, but leaves his upper left corner exposed for a second. I blast another attack through and strike his upper left arm.

He hisses in pain. And the octopus ring fails. I grin and gather my flames into my right hand. I then run forward and launch a strike at Aang's face. But as I get within five feet, a powerful gust of wind blows me back. The flames dispel and I land against a column.

I groan and stare at Aang. He is standing, arms stretched, eyes hard. I growl, and launch another barrage of flames at him. He merely breaths and knocks each blast out.

This makes me even madder. I run forward and launch a series of strikes against him.

To my utter amazement, Aang counters each and every one of them. I then try to engulf him in flames, but he jumps back and launches a concentrated air blast at me. The blast takes the form of a fist and hits me in the abdomen.

I cough up a little blood, and sink to my knees. I glare up at him and all conscious thought leaves me. I give off a primal shriek and charge at Aang. I pull all of my energy into my fist and strike out at Aang.

Aang does nothing but stare into my eyes as I approach him. At the last instance, he ducks and rolls under me. I look down into his eyes and for a second, see unconditional love and sorrow in those gray orbs. Then he launches a stiff uppercut, catching me on the chin. As I am propelled into the air, he airbends and I am launched even further into the air.

The next thing I know, Aang is right beside me, and is pummeling my body with powerful kicks and punches. He finishes by ramming his heel into my stomach in the same instance I land. I cough up even more blood and grab my stomach.

He jumps up and lands about five feet from me. "Now will you listen to me, Azula?"

I stare up at him, and snarl, "I hate you!!"

He continues to stare at me and I keep shouting. "You abandoned me! You left me behind! Why?! Why did you leave?! Do you know how much you hurt me you bastard?! I changed. I changed for you. I loved you. I wanted to marry you, to bare our children, to share my life with you. And how do you repay me? You leave. And for what!? A title. You left me for a soulless position. Well I hope you are happy, Aang! Because that title is all you will ever have!!"

I stop as a fresh surge of pain hits me. I then feel water around my waist and look up, expecting to see Katara. But Aang's face fills my vision. "You're right, Azula."

I stare at him, perplexed. "What?"

He concentrates and the pain washes away. Then he turns to me. "You're right to hate me. To insult me. I did abandon you. I did leave you. But you never gave me a chance to explain why I did."

With the exclamation of my pain, I felt calmer, more at peace. And I realized that I never gave him a chance to explain himself. I had heard one thing and had not bothered to hear what else he was saying. Shame fills me, and my cheeks redden.

"You told me why. You said that you were the Avatar. And that you could not have any attachments."

Aang smiles, pleased that I was speaking to him. "That is true. The Avatar can not have any attachments. They can not love anyone more then another. I let go of Katara because that was what was needed of me. But my time with you made me realize that I did not truly love her. My affection for her was holding me back. The mistake I made with you was letting you believe that I thought you were holding me back."

I nod. "Alright, fine. Then why did you leave?"

He sighs and sits down. "I left to find a way to remove the Avatar Spirit from myself."

"What?"

Aang grins and rubs his head. "I left to become a regular human. I left to find a way to remove my curse. But in order to find the answers that I needed, I had to walk in the dark places of this world. I could not bring anyone I cared for with me. The people I sought, they are ruthless. They are utterly devoid of compassion and they would not hesitate to use you, Katara, or anyone else I loved against me. Yet they were the only ones who had the knowledge I needed. So I left you, to protect you."

I stare at him for a minute before smashing my fist into his jaw. Aang was not expecting it and he was knocked a good three feet. I stand up and start breathing very hard and very fast. Aang gets up and rubs his jaw.

"Aang, you are the most idiotic, patriarchal, dumdum, I have ever known." I then walk forward and he tenses. I stop in front of him and pull him to me, tears streaming out of my eyes. "Never leave me again! Do you understand?! Never leave me behind again." I cry out as I sob into his tunic.

After composing himself, he wraps his arms around me and embraces me, hard. "I'm sorry Azula. I never meant to harm you, or any one. I just wanted to keep you safe. You are my entire world. You showed me that there is more to this world then the codes and beliefs of the monks. You saved me, Azula. I just could not bare the thought of losing you to those beings. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Azula. But I promise you one thing. If you will still have me, I will never leave you. I want to share my life with you, Azula. I want to pleasure you. I want you to have my children. And I want to live with you, to experience all that life has to offer. That is, if you will still have me."

I look up at him and see only love in his eyes. I give a few small hiccups and reach into my tunic. I pull out a bag that I had carried for the past two years, and hand it to him.

"What's this?" Aang asks, puzzled.

I blush and mumble my answer.

Aang opens the bag then grins. "Come on Azula, what is it?"

I break from him and turn away. "You know perfectly well what it is."

He grins and wraps his arms around me. "No I don't. I'm just a simple monk. We know nothing of Fire Nation culture."

"FINE!! It is a wedding ring, damn it! Aang will you marry me?!"

I hear a large gasp and turn to see Uncle, Zuko, Katara, and twenty other servants standing there.

My face is now burning with crimson. I turn and try to march away, but Aang grabs my arm, swings me around and plants his lips on mine. Agni above, even after two years, Aang still knew how to kiss.

After a minute we break and he slips the ring on. Then takes a bag out of his pocket. "Only if you will marry me." He opens it and a brilliant ring with a large ruby attach appears. I look up into his eyes and he nods. I take the ring and put it on.

"Yes. Yes!! I'll marry you Aang!" And I jump into his arms, not caring who is watching.

Suddenly we begin moving and I turn to Aang. "Where are we going?"

He smirks. "It has been two years and I have missed you. While my teachers were beings of darkness, they had some very colorful books on just how a man can please his wife. I think you might like some of the techniques I learned."

I blush again, and start to open my mouth, but close it. Zuko had apparently overheard Aang, for he was retching all over the floor. He looks up and I give him a small wink, and blow him a kiss.

**Zuko's POV**

Aang's proposal was bad enough, but the thought of my sister sleeping with him was too much, and dinner came spewing out. Then she had the gall to wink at me. I swear I will get her for this.

Suddenly I feel a tap. I look up to see Katara, Iroh, and five other servants holding their hands out to me.

"What?" I ask.

Katara smirks. "Time to pay up Zuko. Aang came back and is with Azula. You lost the bet."

Iroh grins at me before speaking. "Now if what I have read about past Avatars is true, then this place will become much livelier."

"What do you mean?"

Iroh's smile gets even bigger. "Let's just say that Avatars are known for their prowess and fertility in the bed chambers.

And then I found out that I still had a little in me from breakfast.

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**Hope that you all enjoyed that. **


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